Editing Ship model (section)

== Wargaming ==
{{Main|Naval wargaming}}
[[File:Zinnschiffe.jpg|thumb|[[1:1250 scale]] [[die-cast model]]s of ships]]
Model ships have been used for [[war gaming]] since antiquity, but the introduction of elaborate rules made the practice more popular in the early 20th century.  Small miniature ships, often in [[List of scale model sizes|1:1200 scale]] and 1:1250 scale were maneuvered on large playing surfaces to either recreate a historical battle, or in the case of governments, plan for future encounters.  These models were basic representations of ship types, with enough detail to make them recognizable. [[Bassett-Lowke]] marketed these to the public in England, along with more detailed versions that appealed to collectors.

Prior to [[World War II]], the German company [[Wiking Modellbau|Wiking]] became a leader in the field<ref>{{cite book| title=Wiking-modelle.: Die Schiffe und Flugzeuge| first1=Peter| last1=Schönfeldt|first2=Klaus |last2=Hogardt | year=1998| publisher=Koehler Publishing| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GbTeAAAACAAJ&q=Wiking-Modelle+Die+Schiffe+und+Flugzeuge| language=de|isbn=3-7822-0731-9}}</ref> but the war ended its dominance.

Upon the United States' entry into World War II, [[Charles King Van Riper]] was commissioned to build identification models at a scale of {{convert|1|ft|m|abbr=on}} to {{convert|64|ft|m|abbr=on}}. He produced 1:1200 models of freighters for the [[United States Navy]]'s Submarine Attack Teacher at [[Groton, Connecticut]].<ref name="Jacobs">{{cite book|last=Jacobs|first=Paul|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rqa9AwAAQBAJ|title=Miniature Ship Models A History and Collector's Guide|publisher=Pen & Sword Books |place=|date=2008|page=|isbn=978-1-78383-003-9 |access-date=2024-01-06}}</ref><ref name="Fleet">{{cite journal |date=November 1994 |title=Tisbury's Table-Top Fleet |url=https://mvmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/1994-D-Nov.pdf |journal=The Dukes County Intelligencer |volume=36 |issue=2 |page=51 |access-date=2024-01-10}}</ref>